If Will Came First
by SqrrlGrl
Summary: Set after Clockwork Prince. What if Will expressed his love to Tessa before Jem? Please read and R&R.
1. Chapter 1: Will's Declaration

**Hi everybody! This is my second ever fan fiction. If you like this story then check out my first story, Bluebird. This is based off Clockwork Prince, the second book in Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices series. WARNING: May contain spoilers about Clockwork Prince. If you have not read it yet, read at your own risk. In this fan fiction, I was playing around with the idea(which I'm sure plenty of Infernal Devices fans have done) if Will had expressed his love for Tessa before Jem did. So read and enjoy! Please leave reviews, I do take what you guys say into account. So.. here it is! **

**(Introduction Starting from Page 462 in Clockwork Prince)**

"_**I can't wait to tell Jem about our meeting," he said as they mounted the stairs. "He'll never believe that scene- for Gideon to turn on his father like that! It's one thing to tell secrets to Sophie, another to renounce your whole allegiance to your family. Yet he cast away his family ring."**_

"_**It is as you said," Tessa said as they turned at the top of the stairs and made their way down the corridor. Will's gloved hand was arm on her arm. "Gideon's in love with Sophie. People will do anything for love."**_

_**Will looked at her as if the words had jolted him, then smiled, the same maddeningly sweet smile he had given her in the carriage. "Amazing, isn't it?"**_

_**Tessa made as if to answer, but they had reached the drawing room. It was bright inside; the witch light torches were high, and there was a fire in the grate. The curtains were drawn back, showing squares of leaden sky. Tessa took off her hat and gloves and was just laying them on a Moroccan table when she saw that Will, who had followed her in, was drawing closed the bolt on the door. **_

Tessa was about to inquire why Will had followed her into the drawing room and locked the door, when she saw him turn to face her. She opened her mouth in surprise and shut it again. Again in surprise she watched as he in two long strides, caught her in an embrace. Cautiously, Tessa whispered, "Will, what are you doing?" Tessa received no answer though, as Will walked her backward until they nearly collided with the wall. "_Will," _she said in surprise as he pinned her to the wall with his body. Suddenly, he kissed her, his mouth hot on hers. Surprised, Tessa kissed him back. He ran his hands through her wet hair, as she did the same to his. His lips were soft and electric against hers, his body hard against her. She knew they had to stop. This time they were not under the influence of warlock drugs.

"Will," she murmured "we need to stop." He slowly looked at her, his bright blue eyes looking at her as if he could see into her heart. He looked hurt as he whispered, "I have something to tell you, Tessa," he paused for a moment before continuing, "I love you Tessa, and I have loved you, since almost the moment I met you." His blue eyes gazed at her as he said it alight with the truth behind his words. "I love you, Tessa. I will never love anyone else like I do you." Shocked into silence, Tessa could only stare at him.

"You…..don't believe me?" he whispered, the hurt in his eyes was almost too hard for Tessa to bare.

"I…..I'm not sure if I can believe you, Will," she whispered,"after all the things you've said and done to me; How can I trust you?" Tessa began to shake as a tear rolled down her cheek. Will took his thumb and moved it away.

"Don't cry, Tessa. Don't you ever shed a tear over me," Will whispered softly into Tessa's ear. "I never meant to hurt you in any way, Tessa,"

Now Tessa was mad. "You never meant to hurt me? How do you explain what you said to me, when you treated me like rubbish?" She was fuming now. "You call that love?"

"No. I know I was horrible to you, but I can explain," Will said grabbing Tessa's hand in his. "I'm cursed, Tessa, or I thought I was."


	2. Chapter 2: Shocker

**Hi everybody! Ok, so I was very exited to write this chapter, I know it's not that long, but the chapters will hopefully get longer. Thanks to Lady of Fantasy for the helpful review. Most of this chapter was my writing, not Cassandra Clare's. The only reason the last chapter had a lot of her writing in it, was to bring you into the scene more. Anyways, this is chapter 2. I hope you guys enjoy, and please rate and review. I LOVE your comments. So here it is, and enjoy!**

Tessa was stunned into silence. Will continued to gaze into her eyes. "Please let me explain,"

"Alright. Explain Will,"

Will took a deep breath before responding, "When I was twelve, living with my parents in Wales, I found a Pyxis in my father's office. When I opened the box, I released a demon-Marbas- who cursed me. He swore that anyone who loved me was doomed to die. So, I fled my family and came here. For years I have held everyone at arms length- everyone I could not push away entirely." Tessa was stunned into silence. _He just explained why he did all those things to me, so I wouldn't die, _she thought. "There's more, Tessa," Will said, a stunningly beautiful smile on his face. "Magnus helped me rise the demon, and there never was a curse,"

Tessa was overwhelmed with confusion. Of course she forgave Will, he had good reasons to do what he did, but with everything going on between her and Jem….

Will's smile began to fade as he watched the emotion play across Tessa's face. "Can you forgive me, Tessa?"

"Of course I forgive you, Will. You had good reasons to do what you did," Tessa smiled at this, as did Will, "And, if we are both telling the truth here, I loved you no matter what you did to hurt me. I couldn't control myself, I was so confused by it.." Tessa rambled on.

The smile that appeared on Will's face nearly made Tessa's heart stop beating. He then leaned in and kissed her, his hand cupped behind her neck as he did so. Tessa, at first, tried to not move her hands, but she gave up and ran her hands through his silky hair. She wished she could spend every moment of her life like this, in Will's arms. For a moment Jem's face flashed through her mind, but she didn't care. She loved Will. As the kiss continued, Will pushed her onto the sofa of the drawing room, still kissing her. Soon, Will began to kiss her neck, and run his hands down her body. Shivers went through Tessa's spine as he did so. Tessa was surprised by herself as she took off his shirt, and began to feel his muscles. She was surprised when Will stopped the kiss.

"We need to express ourselves better than giving in to desire for each other," he said, smiling, "Although I admit, I do enjoy giving in for once." This comment made Tessa smile too. "But, I have something very important to say to you, Tessa," he paused for a moment, studying her face, "You know I love you, unlike how I have ever loved anybody before this. And, my dear Tessa, I do not want anyone but you for the years to come," He grinned as he said my dear Tessa. He got on one knee as he whispered, " Would you do me the honor of marrying me?"

**Ok, so I know this was a more interesting chapter then the last one, hopefully they will only continue to get more interesting. If you guys have any ideas about things I could do to the plot, or other stories I should read or write a fan fiction on, please leave a review and let me know. As always, thanks for reading. ****J **


	3. Chapter 3: Decisions, Decisions

**Hey, I'm so happy about how this story is turning out! Thanks SO much to everyone who reviewed and gave me your opinions in my story! It has truly helped me a lot in my writing, so keep them coming! Also thanks a lot to my international readers! It is amazing to have so many people interested in my writing. So, as always, please leave your reviews. Here is chapter 3! **

Tessa stood stunned, staring at Will's hopeful expression. She couldn't believe he had just asked her this. Jem's face flashed through her mind. She loved Jem, but she loved Will too, possibly more. _This is the moment where I must choose who I love the most,_ she thought. _Will or Jem. Will, the beautiful one with the hard exterior and pain on the inside, who tried to go most of his life making no one love him. Then there was Jem, who went through pain as well, and was dieing, but to hide it he made the most of his short life. Sweet and generous Jem. She knew this would destroy him. _This was a choice between what Tessa desired, what she most wanted in the world, but felt like she couldn't have, and what she was supposed to have. Between the unexpected and the expected. Between passion and sweetness. Between Will and Jem, the only two men she could love.

All this went through Tessa's head in an instant. Then she had her answer for Will.

**Will's POV. **

Will watched as the emotion and the choices flashed across her face. He knew it was a hard choice, he _had _been horrible to Tessa. He saw that she now had her decision. His heart couldn't beat as he waited for her answer. She moved her mouth. This was going too, insanely slow for Will.

"Well?" He whispered, putting his hand on Tessa's face. She had made her decision, he could tell, he just wasn't sure if it was the one he wanted her to make. She whispered her answer so softly Will could hardly make out what she had said.

"Yes. I'll marry you, Will." Will felt like his heart had exploded with emotion. He kissed Tessa, and for the first time ever, she kissed him without worrying if she was making the right choice. She let her emotions go wild and free.

Will continued kissing her, glee going through him. Soon, he would be married to Tessa. His true and only love. After such a long time of pain and anguish, after thinking he could never have anyone love him, he could finally love someone else, and have someone else return his love. It was an amazing feeling.

"Will?" he heard someone whisper. "Tessa?" his voice broke, obvious hurt in his voice. It was Jem. Will knew that voice better then anyone else. Jem ran out the door, not waiting for an answer. Will broke away from Tessa. She looked hurt, as well. _Of course_, he thought, _Tessa also loves Jem. And Jem loves her. How could I have not seen it? That was why the choice was so hard for Tessa. She was choosing between me and Jem. _He decided to stop thinking about it, _Jem needs me._ He then ran out the door, after his best friend and his parabatai, whom he had just unconsciously broken his heart.

**Ok, so that was chapter 3. I hope you guys liked it! Please leave me some reviews! As always thanks for reading. ****J**


	4. Chapter 4: New Feelings

**Hi, everybody! This is chapter 4 of If Will Came First. I can't possibly explain how happy I am about how well this story has been doing. Everyone has left me great comments and reviews, and I would love for you guys to keep them coming! I also love all my international viewers, you guys mean so much to me( I love my local viewers too though (: )! I am also changing up how I am updating the story. Like TV shows, I will update every week, on Wednesdays. As always, please leave reviews! (: The story itself is going to be different in this chapter. This chapter will be from Jem's POV. Enjoy !**

Jem stormed down the hallway, blocking out all sounds. He couldn't believe Tessa had done that. _Or maybe she had been doing that the whole time,_ he thought. And Will, how could he do this to him? They were the closest of friends, parabatai. He would die for Will, and Will would die for him. But to know that they would both do anything, be anything for the same girl…. Jem knew the right thing to do would be allowing Will to be with Tessa, but he knew that would be what Will should do for him, too. Jem felt like sobbing, but he didn't. It wouldn't be the gentlemanly thing to do. He continued to walk until he heard a voice screaming his name. _Will, _he thought. Of course he was coming after him.

"Jem! I can explain!" Jem could hear Will from down the hall, calling him. _I'm sure he can explain why he was kissing Tessa, when I'm courting her, _Jem thought. But he didn't answer out loud. Jem went into his room, and slammed the door behind him. "I can explain! Please listen, Jem," Jem started sobbing as he curled up on the floor. He didn't want to face Will right now, he was too weak. Men shouldn't cry. He had only cried when he was young and sometimes when he thought too hard about his illness and what he was going to miss out on. But he had never had to deal with things like heartbreak and betrayal. These feelings were new to him.

Jem heard banging on his door. "Jem, please talk to me," Will whispered outside the door. "I didn't know about you and Tessa. I didn't know the way you felt about each other." Now Jem was angry. He never got angry, not much. Jem got up and opened the door.

Will's face was full of pain as he stared at Jem. It must have been obvious that Jem had been crying. "Jem…..are you okay?"

"No, I am not okay Will. Does it look like I am?' Jem was mad, but he didn't want everyone, especially Tessa, hearing their conversation. "Come in. Hurry." Will stepped in Jem's room quietly.

"Jem…I didn't realize you were courting Tessa. I was too mixed up in my own issues to understand, to truly know. I didn't know until I saw Tessa and your face when you saw us," Will said. A part of Jem understood what Will was saying, that it made sense. But he was so overcome with sorrow, he became too mad.

"Sure you didn't, Will. I know you. You were thinking of yourself. You wouldn't possibly think about anything getting your way. Sure, I can't compete with you, in anything," Jem's voice faltered before he continued, " being a shadow hunter, looks, _everything._ So it's not a big surprise to me that Tessa picked you over me. You can have her, Will. I'm a dead man anyway. You know that, and you've known that for a while." A tear went down Jem's face as he said it. "You can give her things I can't Will. You can give her a _life_. So, go, be with her."

Will slowly stepped out of the room, "Jem…."

"Just go, Will," Jem whispered. Will walked out and Jem slammed the door behind him. He began to sob silently, so he took out his violin and began to play, to try to forget Tessa and Will.

**Ok, that was the chapter. Please leave reviews on this chapter, and check this story next Wednesday for the FINAL CHAPTER of this story! Thanks and I hope you liked it! (:**


	5. Chapter 5: A Great Honor

**Hey, everybody! This is the final chapter of If Will Came First. ): I'm really sad to see this story end, but I hope the end will be satisfying for you guys. As always, please leave more of your helpful reviews, I love to read them. Even if this is the end of the story, I could always use improvement for future stories. This chapter is from Tessa and Jem's POV. Enjoy!**

One Week Later…(Tessa's POV)

Tessa stared at herself in the mirror. This was her and Will's day. She still couldn't believe it was here, this day. She stared at herself, in a _wedding_ dress. She was overwhelmed with so many emotions. Love, nervousness, heartbreak, fear, hope. All these feelings went through her.

It had been a hard week leading up to the wedding. She had to face Jem every day, see the tortured look in his face, yet had to ignore it because she was in love with Will, _she had choose him_. This week she had to remind herself of this often, to keep herself from going to Jem, and apologizing. Because she honestly wasn't sorry. She was only sorry for his pain, not her decision to marry Will. She was positive about that.

She continued to ponder, when she heard a soft knock on her door. Tessa went to open it, and found Jem. Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him. He looked better than he had. He looked as if there were some happiness in him. Forgiveness at least.

"Can I talk to you for a moment, Tessa?" She nodded and opened the door to allow Jem to enter. He walked in slowly, his cane hitting the floor in a pleasant rhythm. He looked around, taking in the room, then he turned and looked at Tessa. "You look so beautiful today, Tessa. Will is one lucky man."

Tessa smiled, "Thank you, Jem." Jem opened his arms and Tessa gladly went into them. They stood for a moment too long, savoring the embrace quietly. Tessa was the first to pull away. Jem's silver eyes stared at her.

"Will better be good to you, now. If he does anything wrong, just let me know. I may not be as strong as him, but I can still slice his throat if you need it." Tessa and Jem both smiled and giggled at his comment.

"I don't think that would be an issue. I could always beat him, too." They both laughed at the thought of Tessa taking on Will in a fight.

Jem cleared his throat, "I think it may be best if I leave soon. You have a wedding to get to, and I will not be responsible for making the bride late." They both grinned.

"Before you go Jem," Tessa said as he began to walk towards the door. He turned around and looked at her. "Me and Will were discussing it, and we decided that, if we had children, we want you to be their godfather." Jem smiled, looking off in the distance as if he were imagining it.

"Uncle Jem….I really like it. Thank you, Tessa. It's a huge honor. I will not fail you and Will, I promise."

Tessa smiled, "We knew you wouldn't. That's why we picked you. And you are, besides each other, the person we care about the most in this world." Jem smiled.

"Thank you, Tessa. I should probably be off to help Will," Jem said. He tilted his hat in a gentlemanly manner, and walked out the door.

Jem's POV

Jem walked away, a tear in his eyes. He was touched that Will and Tessa had left him such an important job, even if he may not live long enough to see it through, he would do his best. He couldn't imagine two better people, or better children, if they had them. He wiped the tear away carefully and walked down the hallway of the Institute. He was barely out the door when he saw something that made him stop in his tracks.

It had to be, next to Tessa, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She had long, black curly hair, and bright blue eyes. She looked oddly familiar….

"How do you do?" Jem asked her, "have we met before?"

She looked closer at him. "I don't think we have, but you may know my brother, Will Herondale. My names Cecily."

Jem grinned, "Oh, I know him alright."

**Ok, that was the end of the story. I am considering doing an epilogue on this story, so please let me know in the reviews if you want me to write an epilogue. If I do, it will be posted next Wednesday. As always, thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6: Epilogue

**Hey everybody! Due to popular demand, and my own feelings on the story, I have decided to write this epilogue for If Will Came First. I figured everyone should see what came into my head about what ends up happening. Some of you have also requested a prequel or sequel story, but I will touch up on that in the last authors note at the end. As always, please review, and enjoy!**

10 years later…

Will woke up early to find a small head bouncing up and down across his bed. "Wake up, Father! Wake up!" she screamed, giggling. Tessa stood laughing, joy in her features. Soon another small boy jumped up on the bed and helped the small girl in her chant.

Will, to this day, could not believe he was a father. They had thought Tessa could never have children, but thanks to the Silent Brothers and their research into Tessa's background, they discovered that she could, since she was only part warlock, and she was a special case. This had taken 5 years after their marriage to discover though, but they did not regret it. They now had 4 beautiful children.

The oldest was James, who was now exactly 5 years old. He had brown hair, like Tessa's, and Will's blue eyes. They had decided to name him after Jem, because he and Tessa both agreed that there wasn't a better man out there for their son to look up to then Jem Carstairs.

The second child was 3 year old Sidney. They decided to name her that, simply from the book, A Tale of Two Cities, their favorite, and they thought that, even though it was only used as a boy name, it would be lovely for a girl as well. She had Will's black curly hair, and Tessa's gray eyes. She was full of energy, at all times of the day.

They also had new baby twins, both girls, named after Will's sisters, Cecily and Ella. They both, so far, looked identical to Will, with his blue eyes and black hair.

"Come on, Father! Uncle Jem and Aunt Cecily are coming!" Sidney screamed as she and James continued to jump on top of him.

"Get off your father now. I think he is awake," said Tessa as she removed the children from the bed. "Good morning Will," she said to him, as the children left. He sat up straight and kissed her good morning. "The children are right though. Jem and Cecily will be here with the children in a few," she said, but she was already practically running to make sure everything looked alright. He chuckled as he got out of bed, got dressed, and went downstairs.

"You're finally up!" Sidney screamed, as she ran and tackled him in a hug, her black curls waving behind her. James followed and hugged him, too. James had always been the quiet one.

"Oh, here they come, over there!" James said, pointing out the window. Tessa was carrying Ella, who did not know how to walk yet, and Cecily could barely walk on her own, but she was trying. They came over to the window, as did Will and Sidney. Indeed their carriage had arrived.

Will went and opened the door, to see Jem, walking with his cane as always, at the door. He had a smile on his face, and he looked like the happiest man alive. This made Will happy too.

"Uncle Jem!" screamed Sidney and James, who ran and tackled him in a hug. Even Cecily ran and gave him a hug.

"Hello you!" said Jem as he hugged them. Will and Tessa laughed, and as soon as the kids cleared out they went and hugged Jem, too.

Then Cecily came in, their two children at her heels. They were the same age as James and Sidney. The oldest, the little 5 year old boy, was William. He looked a lot like Will, simply because he looked exactly like Cecily.

The second was 3 year old Charlotte. She looked a lot like Jem; she had long, silver hair like him and she had Cecily's blue eyes. Even though she was young, she was stunning to look at.

William was very loud and he came in screaming, "Uncle Will, Aunt Tessa!" and tackled them in bear hugs. Little Charlotte said hello and gave them hugs, she was quieter then William.

Everyone else said their hello's happily and talked about what they were up to. William and James, and Sidney and Charlotte were playing together. They were already really good friends, and they were already training as Shadowhunters.

At dinner, later, Will tapped the crystal glass, calling everyone's attention. "I have some news, and I think Jem does too." Jem nodded to let him go first. "Our family is moving to Idris." A few people gasped, but almost everyone had already heard this. "Jem," Will said, so he could go.

"And we are moving to America. To Los Angelis, to be exact."

**Hey everybody! Sadly, that was the end. I did want to set up the Mortal Instruments and the Dark Artifices though with them moving. For example, Stephen Herondale lived in Idris, and from what we know, Emma Carstairs lived in Los Angelis. I am thinking of making a sequel story, either about how Jem and Cecily got together(more love triangles) or about their children as teenagers. Please leave some reviews on which one you think will be better. Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story!**


	7. Chapter 7: Author's Note on Sequel Story

**Hey guys, sorry this is not a new chapter. I would just like to thank you guys for reading my story, it is one of my favorites I have written. Some of you have left reviews asking me to let you know when I write my sequel story about Cecily's love interests. On Wednesday, I plan on having the new story out. I am calling it Glad You Came(it's not a songfic guys, no worries. I do love the song and the wanted though). I decided to call it this because Jem (and another young Shadowhunter whose name I will leave anonymous as of now) are glad she came(sorry, I know the way I explained it is kind of stupid and obvious). So please come check it out, as well as my other Infernal Devices story, Here comes the Bride. I would love to hear reviews from you guys as well, it's the greatest feeling ever having people read and tell me they love my writing. So thank you guys so much!**


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